Tonight She Will Cry
by The Last Letter
Summary: Beckett is still furious with Castle and refuses to speak with him. But when a young girl -carrying Alexis's ID- disappears they are forced together to solve the crime. Then Alexis knows to much, so she is taken too. Caskett and family fluff.
1. Tonight She Will Cry

She reached out and slapped him. "HOW DARE YOU?" She yelled, Rick just bowed his head and took it. He had disobeyed her, that was true, but she deserved to know what had happened to her mother, to finally bring those people to justice, for her and other families. Tears filled Kate's eyes, and she slumped, as though she were too tired to be angry with him, however, when she looked up at him again, fire burned in her green eyes. "I want you to walk away from me, and I don't want you to come near me, _ever_ again. This little partnership is over." When Rick continued standing there, she yelled, "GO!" Rick obediantly left her.

Kate slumped against a wall, knees curled up to her chest, head on her knees, tears pouring down her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself and let go. She cried for her mother, even though she thought she'd stopped grieving, she cried for her father, she cried for herself. She just couldn't believe that Castle would do this! She knew he was cocky, arrogant, she knew he was bone-headed, stupid, impulsive, she _knew_ he was selfish, she knew that he hated orders, but couldn't he have listened just this once? Kate had finally learned to trust him, just a little, and he had to go and do this! Out of all the stupid things he could do, he had gone and done this! She should have shot him while she had the chance. He had no right to open her mother's case, he had no right to take the liberties he did! He knew what it had done to her in the past, and still he did it! Kate remained against the wall, although the tears had slowed, she ignored the aching in her back, she just concentrated on her black pants, hoping that would block out any other thoughts.

This was when Esposito and Ryan had found her.

"Beckett?" Ryan asked, crouching next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Kate drew in a deep breath and jumped away from him. Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. This woman could not be Detective Katherine Beckett. Beckett never lost control like this. Her make up was smeared, her eyes were puffy and her clothes were wrinkled.

"Oh, um, hi. I'm fine, I'll see you tomorrow." Kate drew herself up and walked away from them. She went home to her lonely apartment, where she drew herself a nice hot bath, with a bottle of vodka beside her. Tonight she would cry, tomorrow she would go back to work.

**I have already seen the season 2 premier, but this is just my take on a way for Castle and Beckett to be reunited with some anger, fluff, slapping and lots of Alexis and Martha! Oh, and Esposito might get his ass kicked at some point, still deciding on that. :)**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	2. Roses

**"Beckett," **Roared Roy Montgomery.

"Yes sir?" Kate stood up.

"These arrived for you," Montgomery shoved a bouquet of roses in her face. "These are the eighth set this morning. So tell that boy you're sorry, or tell him to stop stalking your ass. Either way, another bunch of flowers come to _my_ desk, you will pay, Beckett." Roy threatened and walked away.

"Yes, sir," Beckett called to his retreating back. She frowned at the rather innocent looking roses. How could she the whole 'leave me the hell alone' message to thick headed Richard Castle and make him understand it? She had taken the rest of the flowers and burned them out back until they were little more than ashes in the wind. She needed time to think, to come to terms with this new information. Once she got past all of it, then she _might_ be able to forgive him, but he wasn't giving her space, and he needed to leave her alone.

Taking the roses outside, she burned the flowers. Not until they were ashes, but just enough so that they were crisp and black. A grim look on her face, she put them in a box, and sent them to Richard Castle.

***

"You, dear father of mine, are an idiot." Alexis informed her father, curling up on the couch beside him.

"You have been hanging out with your grandmother too much, that's usually what she says." Rick replied off handedly, he was already wondering on whether or not he should send Kate more flowers. Maybe daisies this time. Something fun.

"You never should have looked into her case in the first place." Martha butted in, a glass of wine in her hand.

"That's all in the past now, Mother. She'll forgive me."

"Stop pestering the girl within an inch of her life. She needs time Rick." Martha squeezed herself onto the couch so that Rick was in between her and Alexis.

"She needs more flowers." Rick reached for the phone, but Alexis grabbed it, her red hair swinging.

"No."

"But-" Rick protested. They stared at each other until the doorbell rang and Rick jumped.

"Delivery for Mr. Castle." Someone yelled.

Rick marched to the door, collected his package, and brought it back to the coffee table. "It's from Kate. See, Mother, she's forgiven me. She even sent me a present." Rick beamed to his cynical mother before ripping open the box. A stony silence enveloped the room as Rick gathered the burnt flowers in his arms. "She burned them." He whispered, cradling the dozen once red roses like a child.

"Dad, are you okay?" Alexis placed a hand on her father's shoulder.

Rick's mouth hung open for a few seconds, and then it started moving but no sound came out. Finally he managed a choked, "She burned them."

"Dad," Alexis laid a hand on her father's shoulders.

Rick shook her off, his throat thick, eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'll be in my office." Still cradling the flowers Rick made his way into his office. He sat in his chair, and stared at the once red roses. He didn't know why the burning of his gift had hurt him so much. It's just that it seemed so cruel. Is this what she had done with the others? Burnt them, except those ones didn't get sent to him.

He sat the roses on a shelf. He was out of ideas. She kept pushing him farther and farther away. Maybe his mother was . . . right. Maybe he should give Kate space. Rick hung his head. She would never forgive him. It would never happen. He had hurt her too much, pushed her too far. He looked at the promotional poster for the Nikki Heat novel. It was all over now.

***

It had been three hours since she had sent the roses to Castle. Kate kept glancing toward the entrance, ready to intercept any deliver boys before they could make it to Captain Montgomery. None came, and she couldn't help but be relieved. She finally had her space back. Her space to breathe. She turned back to her paperwork when Esposito came up behind her.

"Ryan and I are taking off to go shoot some pool. You wanna come?" He offered, he'd never seen Beckett break down the way she had last night. Esposito didn't know what had caused it, but since Castle hadn't shown up for work today and kept sending her flowers, he had a very good idea.

"No thanks. I'm going to finish this paperwork up and head home. I didn't sleep very well last night." Kate said, honestly.

"All right. I'll see you in here tomorrow." Esposito turned away from his boss. He glanced back at her before he and Ryan left the building and she was still at her desk, pen in hand, bent over the file in front of her.

***

Rick emerged from his office at six thirty. He was feeling rejected, but he needed food. His mother was sitting in the kitchen, wine in hand, murmuring lines to herself from a script.

"Where's Alexis?" Rick asked, throat scratching from crying. He reached to the fridge for water.

"She and a friend were going to the movies, I think. We didn't want to disturb you. I told her to call when the movie got out and if she was going to be late or if she was going anywhere else." Martha replied, flipping through the pages of her script.

Rick would have whined, would have complained, but he didn't have the energy. Grabbing a muffin from the fridge, he said, "Goodnight Mother."

"Goodnight, dear."

Rick went up to his bedroom and fell asleep almost instantly. His dreams were full of her. Memories, moments he had almost forgotten, but they were so important, so vital now. These were all he could have left of her, these memories gathered over just a few months would have to carry him through the rest of his life. Rick rolled onto his side, looking upset, even in sleep.

***

Kate reached to unlock her apartment door and her phone rang. "Beckett," She whined into the phone, dead on her feet.

"We gotta a male DB," Esposito said.

"Where?" Kate asked, sighing. Esposito rattled off an address. "See you in fifteen." She snapped her phone shut.

Kate arrived at the scene fifteen minutes later. "We got an ID?" She asked Lanie, who was bent over the dead man.

"Hello to you too. He's male, looks to be in his mid forties, gun shot wound to the chest. I found an ID on him, but it's definitely not his." Lanie replied.

Kate took a quick sweep of the man's features. Tall, muscular, brown hair, beginnings of a beard. Lanie handed her a card. It was a student's ID. Shining her flashlight on the blood spattered plastic, Kate read _Alexis Castle_, the red haired, blue-eyed fifteen year old smiled at her from the picture beside the name.

**And the plot thickens. I don't own **_**Castle.**_** Hope y'all like it enough to review. Ask questions if you are confluzzled.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	3. Promises

Beckett was stunned. _Alexis_, she whispered in her mind. She came to the conclusion that anyone else would: the blood on that card indicated something bad had happened to Alexis Castle. Pulling her emotions away from the case and stuffing them into the proverbial box, Beckett called for Esposito.

"Yeah boss?"

"What do we have so far?" She asked.

"Unidentified male vic. A cabbie who stopped for a smoke break found him. Been dead about six hours. Neighbors don't remember hearing any gun shots, or fights or any sort of commotion."

"Six hours," Kate thought back, looking at her watch. "He had to have died around nine thirty." She flashed Esposito the ID card. "Is there any evidence she was here?"

Esposito took a quick look and his eyes widened, "That's-"

"I know exactly who she is, I need to know if she was here."

Ryan, a couple of steps down from the body, yelled, "I've got signs of a struggle." Beckett gave Esposito a look and the two of them headed over to their co-worker's side.

"What is it?"

"Blood spatter along here," Ryan indicated to the concrete and along the wall. "And these trash bins have been knocked over."

"Good work. Get samples of the blood, see if you can find anything else. Esposito, get to work on identifying our vic over there, then check in with Lanie at autopsy." Kate commanded.

"Where are you going?" Ryan questioned.

Kate took in a deep breath, "To talk to her family." She said, looking down at the card in her hand.

***

Knock.

Knock.

Rick Castle opened a bleary eye.

Knock.

The clock read three-thirty in the morning. Why the hell would someone be knocking on his door at three in the morning?

Knock.

_So you're persistent, I'll give you that,_ he thought as he rolled out of bed. Not bothering to cover up his shirtless body, he stumbled down the stairs.

Knock.

"I'm coming!" He moaned, not caring if the person could hear him or not. He fumbled with the lock, but eventually the door came open. Castle's eyes widened and any thoughts of sleep were dashed from his mind.

"Kate," He murmured.

"It's Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle. Do you have a daughter?" Beckett corrected, keeping as close to standard procedure as possible.

"You know I do. She's upstairs asleep." _At least, she better be asleep._

"Can you please go get your daughter, Mr. Castle? I need to ask her a few questions."

"All right," Rick, now suspicious, motioned Kate to take a seat at his kitchen counter, while he bounced up the stairs.

His footsteps, however, awakened Martha. "What is going on out here?" She emerged from her room. "It's three in the morning, and a gal needs her beauty sleep."

Rick paused halfway up the stairs as Alexis came padding out of her room to stand at the top of the stairs. "Gram, Dad?" She yawned. "It's late, why's everyone up?"

"Alexis Castle?" Beckett cut smoothly into the conversation, moving into the teenager's line of sight. "Detective Beckett, NYPD, I need to ask you a few questions about a murder that occurred around nine p.m. last night."

"Murder? You think she killed someone?" Rick demanded as he, Martha and Alexis all took seats in the kitchen.

"I need her to explain why this was found on the body of our victim." Beckett assured him as she laid the card on the table.

"She probably just lost it. You know teenagers." Martha commented, rolling her eyes.

"Mother, Alexis is the most responsible person in the world. She wouldn't just lose it." Rick told her.

"Let's just hear what Alexis has to say," Kate suggested, knowing that Rick and Martha could argue until doomsday.

Alexis tapped the card with her finger. "Gram's right, I lost it. I went to the movies last night, and I took the subway home. I dropped my purse, everything fell out and I must have forgotten to pick it up."

"Alexis, you don't have to lie to me. You're not going to get in trouble." Kate told her.

Rick stood up. "Just hold on a second. My daughter is not a liar. If that's what she said than it has to be the truth."

"No one is perfect, Mr. Castle, especially not teenaged girls who are trying to protect somebody. Now, I'm going to ask you again, Alexis, do you have any idea how this could end up on the body of our victim?"

Alexis looked up, tears in her eyes. "I gave my card to a friend. She was leaving the city, and I gave her some money and my ID so she could get the student rate for the bus." Alexis broke down, "Oh God, please, please don't tell me she's dead."

Kate leaned over and touched the young girl's arm. "No, our victim was male, but the fact that we found your card might mean that someone harmed her, I need you to tell me about your friend."

"Her name is Jessica Kingsman," Alexis started, reaching for tissues. "She's fifteen. She has black hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo," Alexis touched her lower back, "it's a rose. She's an orphan, her parents are dead, and the place she was at wasn't the greatest. The man was a drunk and the woman was never home." Alexis looked up, answering Kate's unasked question, "I never knew their names. That's what Jessie always called them, 'the man and the woman.'"

Quickly Beckett scribbled down the name, 'Jessica Kingsman,' after all, she should be in some database. "What about her parents, did she ever talk about them?"

Alexis shook her head. Her face was tear-stained. "She'll be okay, right? You'll get her back, won't you?"

"Yes, Alexis, I'll bring her back safe and sound, I promise." Alexis smiled through her tears, although it was a small, sad smile.

"If you're finished, Detective Beckett, I'm sure we'd all like to go back to sleep." Rick suggested.

"Of course," Kate slid a card across to Alexis, "call me if you need or remember anything."

Alexis nodded. "Hey, Kate?" She asked as Beckett and Rick stood up.

"Yeah, Alexis?"

"You always keep your promises, right?"

Kate nodded, "I do."

***

"Beckett," Esposito said. He and Ryan fell into step with her. "So we looked into Jessica Kingsman. She was orphaned at the age of two. Her parents were Amelia and Ronald Kingsman."

Beckett stopped. "The bank robbers?"

"Yep," Ryan jumped in. "They were killed in a shootout with the police thirteen years ago. Ronald managed to take out a cop."

"This has got to be related to one of her parent's jobs." Beckett mused.

"Or maybe she got into the criminal world herself," Esposito suggested.

"Hmm. Ryan, bring up a list of all of her parents known associates, find out who's where and doing what. Bring them all in, ask them what they've all been doing."

"Done," Ryan left them.

"There was a store across the street from the site of the murder and abduction, but its fake," Esposito informed her.

"Right, okay. Go help Ryan, I'm going to go talk to Jessica Kingsman's foster parents." Beckett said, leaving the precinct.

**Okay, this may have taken awhile to get out, but it's my belated Christmas present to all the fans of this story. As always, I don't own **_**Castle**_** (but I do own the season one DVD's and the book **_**Heat Wave**_**, as of December 26th!!!!!!!) and reviews and suggestions are always welcome.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	4. One Word Answers

Beckett knocked on the door of a small white house. It looked almost presentable - the lawn was mowed, a few flowers along the side of the house, curtains in all the windows, but Beckett could see the grass was taller than a well-kept lawn should be, the flowers hadn't been watered and the white paint was chipping.

A mousy looking woman opened the door, eyes down, stringy, unwashed hair covering her face. A strong, decaying smell wafted into Beckett's face. "Yes?" the woman asked.

"Are you Elizabeth Drenno?" Beckett asked, although she knew the answer.

"Yes."

"Kate Beckett. NYPD. Is your husband Louis home?" Beckett wondered.

"No."

"Is he at work?"

"Yes."

Beckett was getting annoyed with the one-word answers, but kept her calm. "What time does he get off work?"

"Five."

Kate consulted her watch. It was almost five. "May I wait inside until he arrives?"

"Umm," Elizabeth stuttered. She couldn't let this woman into Louis's house. She wasn't even supposed to open the door for strangers. Oh! Her husband would be so angry. But, she couldn't deny access to a police officer.

While waiting for her to answer, Beckett brought to mind what Alexis had said. _The woman was never home. The man was a drunk._ It looked to her like Elizabeth was being abused by her husband - certainly not the type of woman who was never home. Something was off. Beckett could feel it. And the smell coming from the house only made her suspicions stronger.

"May I come in, Mrs. Drenno?"

"Okay." Elizabeth agreed, and disappeared into the house, leaving Kate to find her own way.

The inside of the house was anything but clean. Dust covered every surface, dirty dishes and clothes lay where they please, and the smell was horrible. "Tea?" Elizabeth had reappeared.

"Okay." Beckett agreed. "Where's your bathroom?"

Elizabeth pointed down the dark hallway, and vanished again. Beckett crept down the halls, checking each room. A bathroom where the toilet was filled with brown water and the mirror was cracked. Another, tiny room that held a computer from '95 and nothing else, and the master bedroom.

"Shit." Beckett swore.

She had found Louis Drenno, dead in his bed, the knife still in his chest.

"What do you have for me, Lanie?" Beckett demanded, charging into autopsy. Elizabeth Drenno was waiting for her in interrogation. She was waiting for forensics to match fingerprints and fibers from the knife, as well as to finish sweeping the house for any other evidence. But she really needed Lanie's report.

"Well, he's been lying in the bed for almost two weeks." Lanie started, looking at the decomposing man on her table.

"Two weeks?" Beckett clarified. "And no one noticed?"

Lanie shrugged. "Your department." She pulled down the sheet to expose the man's torso. "This is the wound that killed him," she pointed, "He bled out almost instantly."

"What about the other wounds?" Beckett asked.

"All delivered postmortem."

"Suggesting an angry attack," Beckett mused, but Lanie shook her head, disagreeing.

"There's one for every day he's been dead, and they were all delivered at different times."

"You can tell?" Lanie just smiled at her friend.

"Which makes me think that she stabbed him once each night before she went to sleep next to him. Like a ritual."

"Hold up." Lanie exclaimed. "She killed her husband than slept next to him?" Beckett nodded. "Woman is _whack_."

"Yep, but right now, she's our only link to Jessica."

Beckett left autopsy, and was headed straight to interrogation, when she got sidetracked by Esposito. "Forensics came back on the knife. Only Elizabeth's fingerprints."

"Thanks. That it?"

"For now. They're still running blood from our crime scene last night."

"Any identification on our John Doe?" Beckett asked.

Ryan answered. "Nope."

"They still running his prints?"

"Nope." Esposito responded.

Beckett looked at them. "So, he's doesn't have a record? I'm amazed." She'd had him pegged as one of those guys.

"He could have a record." Ryan replied.

"We just don't know." Esposito exclaimed.

Beckett gave them a look.

"He doesn't have any finger prints." They chimed together.

"Did you run his DNA?" Beckett asked them.

Ryan and Esposito exchanged looks. "DNA?"

"You two_ are_ cops, right?" Beckett wondered before joining Elizabeth.

"Hello, Mrs. Drenno." She greeted.

"Hello."

"We found your husband dead in your house today, Mrs. Drenno. Why didn't you call the police?"

She shook her head.

"Were you not allowed?" Elizabeth looked at her. "Did Louis tell you not to use the phone?"

"Yes."

Beckett decided to get right to the point. "Did you kill your husband?"

"Yes." There were tears in her eyes, but Elizabeth looked directly at her.

"What did you use?"

"Knife."

"Okay." Beckett pulled a picture of Jessica out of her folder. "Do you know her?"

"Jessie," the woman whispered, touching her picture.

"Does she live with you?" Beckett asked, though she knew that only Elizabeth and Louis had lived in that house. But, it didn't explain the fact that they were listed as her adopted parents.

"No."

"Did she?"

"Yes."

"When did she leave?" Beckett asked.

"No." Elizabeth answered.

_No? _What does she mean, _no_? There's something wrong with the sentence. "Was she taken away?"

"No."

"Sent away?" Beckett asked.

"Yes."

"Did you send her away?"

A few tears fell from Elizabeth's eyes. "Yes."

"Why, Mrs. Drenno? Why did you send Jessica away?"

"Louis," Elizabeth gasped.

"Where did you send her?" Elizabeth didn't answer. "Elizabeth! Where did you send Jessica?"

"Mom's." Elizabeth gasped.

"Your mother's?" Beckett clarified.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Okay." Beckett picked up her things and swept out of interrogation, sending in a uni to take Mrs. Drenno to lock-up.

"Ryan! Esposito! Track down Elizabeth's mother." Beckett barked. "She had Jessica Kingsman."

He turned to his computer, and began to search.

"Ryan, how are we doing on John Doe's ID?"

"His name is Lucas Jones. He has one living relative. A brother named Donny."

"Where's Donny?" Beckett asked.

Ryan grinned. "Prison."

Beckett sighed and looked at him. "Wanna take a ride?"

**I know this took a long time, and then most of the chapter was dialogue, but at least it's out, right? I don't own **_**Castle**_**.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


End file.
